Adjustable basket-ball backstop



Oct. 28. 1924. v E. LA BELLE ET AL ADJUSTABLE BASKET BALL ACKSTDP Filed Feb. 4Q 1924 2 sneeze-sneer. 1

E. LA BELLE ET L.

ADJUSTABLE BASKET BALL BACKSTUP Filed Feb. 4 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

UNET

EDWARD LA BELLE AND BALDI-I C. TAP?, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

ADJUSTABLE BASKET-BALL BACKSTO'P.

Application led February 4, v19.24. Serial No. 690,407.

To all tlg/tom it may conce/mi.'

' Be it known that we, EDWARD LA BELLE and RALPH C. Tarn, citizens of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin. and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Basket-Ball Backstops; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable vothers skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention provides an improvement in adjustable basket ball back stops and, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and dened in the claims.

This improved back stop is especially designed for use in gymnasiums used frequently as auditoriums fer picture shows and other entertainments' where the back stop, when in operative position, would be in the line Vof vision or otherwise in the way or out of place, and at which times the back stop must be swung up close toward or against the ceiling.

l Our invention is directed particularly to improved means for quickly moving the back stop to its inoperative position from its operative position, or conversely, and for properly securing the same, at will, in either of such positions.

In the, accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

F ig. 1 is a rear elevation of the improved iback stop;

F ig. 2 is a side elevation of the back stop, one position thereof being indicated by full lines and another by dotted lines Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and

F ig. 4 is a vertical section on the lineA 4-4 of Fig. 3, some parts being shown in full.

The character A indicates the ceiling of a. gymnasium, auditorium or other room in which the back stop is installed. The back stop proper comprises the customary wooden body made up of boards 5 and a framework and comprising parallel hanger bars 6, which parts 5 and 6 are rigidly connected. The hanger bars 6 extend above the stop board 5 and at their upper ends are provided'with hinge" straps or members 8 that are; pivoted to hinge straps or members 9 rigidly secured to the ceiling. The stop board 5 is attached by the usual or any suit- Abar s 6, and the upper ends of which are rigidly attached to angle brackets 13, which, in turn, are riveted or otherwise rigidly se-y cured to said bars 6.

h/iounted to slide on the guide rods 11 are bifurcated heads 14 that are pivotally connected to the lower ends of anchor bars 15, the upper ends Vof which latter are provided with hinge straps or bars 16, which, in turn,V

are pivoted to cooperating hinge straps or bars 17 rigidly secured to the ceiling A at such distance from the hinge bars 9 that the head blocks 14 will be substantially at the lower straight portions of the respective'- guide rods 11 when the back stop board Sis in the downturned verticalposition. Anchor bars 15 are shown as trussed by crossed braces 7 i I The sliding heads 14 are advisably made in two parts, the sections thereof being rigidly connected by short nut-equipped bolts 18. Said heads have rearwardly projecting parallel flanges'14" through which nut-equipped bolts 19 are passed to aiord a pivotal connection betweenV said heads and the cooperating anchor bars 15. Preferably, spacing thimbles 2O are placed on the bolts, 19 between the flanges 14. j

To reduce the friction between thesliding heads 14 and the guide rods 11, pairsof verticallyv spaced anti-friction rolls 21 are placed between the iianges 14 and journaled on rivets 22 applied through said flanges 14. Theserolls 21 engage directly with the cooperating guide rods 11, which, latter, it will be noted by reference particularlyV to F ig. 3, is in the form of a metal tube or pipe.

To lock the sliding heads 14 to the co-op- 1 erating guide rods 11 when the back stop is turned into its operative position shown by full lines in Fig; 2, lock devices best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are provided, and these lock devices comprisev spring pressed plung-l ers 23 mounted in laterally projecting hubs when the back stop is turned t ocked by the bolts 23, described, the anchor bars will serve to very slcureiy hold the back stop in its operative position and against swinging vibrations either Yforward or backyarda 'When the back stop is to be swun` upward to inoperative position toward or adjacent to the ceiling, the lock bolts 22? must iirst be and then` the heads lll will slide ireely on the guide rods ll so as to permit such upward swinging movement. Such upward swinging movement of the back stop may be produced in lany suitable way as, for example, by a cable 29 passed over the sheave of a tackle block BO attached to the ceiling. As shown, this cable 29 at one end is provided with branches 81 equipped with hooks 32 that may be engaged with eye bolts 33 applied to the back stop board 5. `When the back stop is drawn up to its inoperative position, which may be considerably higher than illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, it may then be there secured by anchoring the other end of the cable 29 to some suitable iixture.

In actual practice, the back stop described has been found very satisfactory and highly eliicient for the purposes had in view. lt is of simple construction and easy to install, and when installed, may be verj7 quickly and easily operated. lvioreover, the device ffies the back stop very Vfirmly and securely and free from vibration in its operative position.

What we claim is:

l. An adjustable basket ball back stop comprising' a board-equipped traine hinged to a ceiling or overhe d support and suspended herefrom, guides on the back of said back stop, heads slidable on said guides, and anchor bars hinged to said ceiling or overhead support at their upper ends at points at the rear of said back stop and at released Leise-oe their lower ends pivotally connected to said. sliding heads, said heads being slidable on said guides to permit said back stop to be swung upward to an inoperative position.

2. An adjustable basketball back stop cornprising a board-equipped `trame hinged to ceiling` or overhead support and suspended therefrom, guides on the back ot said back stop, heads slidable on said guides, anchor bars hinged to said 'ceiling or overhead support at their upper ends at points at the rear of said back stop and at vtheir lower ends pivotally connected to said sliding heads, said heads being slidable on said guides to permit said back stop to be swung upward to an inoperative position, and means tor locking` said heads to said guides to thereby hold said back stop in a downturned roperative position.

rl`he structure defined in yclaim 2 in which said guides are parallel rods otlset at the back oit said back stop, 'and said locking means includes lock bolts engageable with seats in said guides.

il. in adjustable basket ball'back stop comprising boards forming a back stop proper, metallic hanger bars secured to said board and projecting above the same and provided at their upper ends with hinges for connecting the same to the ceiling,` or overhead support, guide rods rigidly secured on the backs of said hanger bars and extended parallel thereto and to each other, heads slidable on said guide rods, and anchor bars pivotally connected to said heads at their lower ends and provided at their upper ends with hinges 'for attaching the to a ceiling or overhead support, said heads being slidable on said guide rods to permit the back stop to be swung into an upturned inoperative position.

5. The structure deiined in claim l in which said sliding,` heads are provided with lock bolts engageable with seats in said guide rods to hold the back stop in a downtur'ied operative position,

The structure defined in cla-im 4,- in which said sliding` heads are provided with antiefriction rollers engageable with the respective guide rods.

In testimony whereof wc afiix our signatures.

EDWARD LA BELLE. RALPH C. TAPP. 

